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[USA RUGBY] MARIETTA, Ga. – San Diego Surfers won their first Women’s Premier League Championship Sunday at the expense of two-time defending champions Glendale Raptors in a competitive, 26-16, Final at Life University Rugby Complex.

Brigham Young University graduate and capped Eagle Jordan Gray was recognized as Most Valuable Player for her play at inside center through the weekend, scoring one try in Friday’s semifinal defeat of Twin Cities Amazons and influencing Sunday’s Final in favor of San Diego.

The Surfers had scored more points in six regular season matches than any team in the competition and came out of the gates Sunday intent on scoring as many points as possible. Their first attack covered nearly the entire field of play before Glendale forced a turnover, only for San Diego to get it back through a penalty. Prop Hope Rogers went through several defenders from the quick tap before the capped sevens duo of Hunter Griendling and Kate Zackary found fellow Women’s Eagles Sevens player Dana Meschisi for the opening try three minutes into the match.

Raptors flyhalf Hannah Stolba’s failed grubber kick near the Surfers’ 22 could have turned into a San Diego try a few minutes later if Glendale had not forced a turnover via a penalty at its own 22-meter line. Meschisi was close to doubling the lead and her scoring tally when Gray freed space for the No. 13 and wing Hanna Lockwood, but the chance was lost forward in-goal.

Gray fended a single tackler at the San Diego 10 and ran past the defense into the attacking third of the field before two Raptors converged to bring down the center. The MVP found Lockwood in space before she was taken to the ground for the wing to extend the lead to 12-0 after 13 minutes.

The Raptors pulled one back through Carmen Farmer when the Rio 2016 Olympian ran over two defenders on the try line, but Samantha Pankey nullified the score with her own try from an Elisabeth Henry offload in front of the posts. Stolba’s penalty goal two minutes from halftime hit an upright and bounced behind the bar for a 19-8 score at the break.

Try-scorer Meschisi was shown a yellow card in the 55th minute after San Diego had conceded consecutive defensive penalties. It took the full 10 minutes of the sinning, but Glendale turned the advantage into points after continuous offensive pressure within the 22. Hooker Jenna Beard finished the attack in-goal to cut the San Diego lead to 19-16.

The Surfers were going forward with their attacks while defending a slim margin with big runs from the likes of Gray, Rogers, and replacement substitutes such as Jamila Reinhardt. In the latter stages, an apparent kick to touch found the hands of a Surfer to start an attack with the Raptors somewhat out of position. Molly Kinsella found a gap to run for the corner and Reinhardt held off a few defenders to inch towards the line before Zackary dove over for the try and 26-16 Championship-winning victory.

From The Rugby Breakdown – San Diego (1-1) rebounded from its two-point loss in week one of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), beating Berkeley (0-2) 69-7 in Moraga, Calif., Saturday. “In hindsight, that loss might have been a good thing for us,”... Read more »

The Surfers are headed to the bay to play the All Blues Saturday morning! If you are in the area be sure to come cheer on the team!!! GAME INFO: WPL Kickoff at 10am B-side Kickoff at 12pm On Treasure Island: Gaelic... Read more »

The Surfers 7s team brought home the gold to San Diego after a very competitive tournament in Seattle. In pool play, Surfers started with a big win against newcomers Mana Wahine from Hawaii. The second game was not as easy against the Old Blue of New York but Surfers managed to squeak by with a couple of tries. The final pool game Surfers got in the groove against DC Furies with a big victory. Next up in the quarterfinals was Atlanta. The Harlequins had a tough defense, holding the Surfers to just 2 tries, 10-0. Sunday in the semi-finals, Surfers faced the reigning champion Berkeley All-Blues. All-Blues pushed into the try zone at half time to go up 14-12 but in the second half, Surfers scored 3 unanswered tries to put them in the final, where they would again play the Old Blue of New York.

The final was our best match of the tournament both offensively and defensively and Surfers came out with a 47-0 victory to earn the National Champion title. All 12 players had shining moments and scored tries in the tournament. It was a great way to the end the season and an awesome finale for coach Richie Walker, captain Katie Lorenz, and vice captain Liz Strohecker.

It’s time to celebrate Christmas in July at the Beachcomber. A $10 cover from 7 pm – 10 pm goes to the Surfers and gets you entry into the hottest Christmas party of the summer. The fundraiser will feature drink... Read more »